I’m embarrassed to admit I didn’t vote in the last presidential election. I felt paralyzed with indecision, but I’m not missing another opportunity to use my voice and cast my vote.
This year, I’m doing the research. For the first time, I’m not voting straight ticket. I’m looking closely at the issues and candidates, their track record and plan of action, and the facts and statistics, and then making an informed decision to the best of my ability.
It’s tempting in non-swing states to believe our vote doesn’t matter and feel like there’s no point in voting, but it does matter—for many reasons. One of the greatest things about our country is the right to vote. I’m the only one who can share my voice—not my spouse, friends, family, or community.
I’ll be honest—this is not an area I feel very knowledgeable in, but I will do the work and share my voice. As a teacher, I often tell my students it’s okay not to know everything and that the goal is to keep learning and growing every day of our lives. I expect my students to show up, try their best, and share their voices even when they don’t have it all figured out, so why wouldn’t I expect the same of myself and give myself that same grace?
This election season, I’m giving myself permission to:
- Make my own choices. We often feel pressure from many sources. I was part of a community that declared that only one key issue really matters when it comes to voting. I believed this for many years, but as I’ve become more curious and paid attention to the people around me, I’ve come to believe many issues matter. It’s easy to ignore the issues that don’t affect us personally, but I have to care about these issues because my brothers and sisters in my community, country, and around the world have no choice but to care, as their daily lives are deeply impacted by them.
- Change my mind. Change is growth. I’m not the same person at 41 that I was at 18, so why would I be surprised that some of my ideologies and priorities have shifted? My experiences as a mom, teacher, and community member have informed my opinions and helped shape and shift my worldview. There is life outside the four walls of my home, neighborhood, community, and state, and I want my vote to reflect that.
- Disagree with others (including people I love and am close to), and I can do this while still being kind and respectful. As a recovering people pleaser, I don’t like conflict, but there is no growth without it. Great change can happen when we engage in conflict in a healthy way. I want to seek to understand rather than just trying to convince others to see my perspective. I’m thankful for those throughout history who have dared to disagree, speak up, and take a stand for what they believe in.
- See things in a more nuanced way. Things aren’t always black and white. Sometimes we wish they were because it feels easier and safer, but issues—and people—are often much more nuanced than that. This is where research, statistics, and conversations can be so helpful as we explore issues on a deeper level.
- Have challenging conversations and ask questions. I want to ask about what I don’t understand. When it comes to issues I don’t have personal experience in, I want to listen to those who do. I reach out to people I want to learn from. We may agree on some things and not on others. Either way, I want to keep asking, learning, and growing.
- Get curious and be willing to sit in my own discomfort. We often allow ourselves to be pigeonholed into one category, but if we can be curious enough to question even ourselves, we might be surprised by our answers. I worked with a student on an assignment involving taking a nonpartisan political quiz and writing about their results. This student’s results were right down the middle, and they felt this was incorrect, as they identified strongly with one political party. I encouraged them to look at the individual issues and be curious about their results. I thought this was a powerful assignment, as many of us have been conditioned to lean one way or the other, and, therefore, we may have never questioned our views on individual issues.
- Believe that most people are doing the best they can with the information they have. We all have our own unique lived experiences. Even in our divided political landscape, if we look closer, get curious, and have genuine conversations with one another, I think we may be surprised by what we find. The loudest voices are often the most divisive, and it’s easy to think everyone falls squarely in one camp or the other, but most actually fall somewhere in between. Someone may be voting for a different candidate than me but for similar reasons. We may have similar goals but different ideas about how to achieve them. Or we may completely disagree, but that doesn’t mean I’m right and they’re wrong or vice versa. We can still believe the best about others and respect those who are different from us. I’m excited to get out and vote in the upcoming election. I hope you, too, will give yourself permission in this election season to show up for yourself and your community fully. Remember that local elections are just as important as national ones, as they often have even more of a direct impact on our day-to-day lives and communities. Here are a few resources I’ve found helpful. Check your voter registration status and register to vote at https://indianavoters.in.gov/. For nonpartisan information on candidates and issues, check out Ballotpedia’s voter toolkit, iSideWith.com, and Vote 411. If you don’t already follow Sharon McMahon, she is another great source for nonpartisan info. Happy voting, everyone!